


Until you came back

by MagicMiss



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Marcel is the perfect golden boy, Porco centered fic, Porco is a bit salty about everything, Porco's childhood, Ymir is there, both talk about life and Eldia and Marley and Regrets, he dislike very much Reiner, it's when she arrives on Marley, kinda but only cause like it's snk and i can't do much about how sad the canon is already is, no beta we die like men, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 13:45:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21459028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicMiss/pseuds/MagicMiss
Summary: A look at Porco relationship with the new Jaw holder and how he lived up to the failures that led him to that moment.orPorco wishes he could've been better and has an hard time to accept his dear older brother's death
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, mention of - Relationship
Kudos: 11





	Until you came back

Porco Galliard was a proud man. He was strong and reliable, and he knew it. While his dear older brother went on the cursed island with Hoover, Leonhard and Braun, he stayed in Marley. Life wasn’t easy, soldiers were mocking him for losing against “the weak blond crybaby”, his parents were speaking high of his brother, sometime being desolated that their second son hasn’t been chosen (“two warriors in one family ? Karina Braun wished !”) but the poor boy had lost. 

He was so furious when he heard the results for the first time ! He wanted to destroy that midget who was now acting all cocky and confident but his brother had cut their fight short and draw him away to talk to him one last time.

“I’m going to receive the Jaw titan tomorrow. After that I won’t see you until the day before I leave for Paradise.” 

“Wha- Why !?” Porco was still apoplectic, his fist shaking. He loved his brother, he was his ideal, his model. He wanted to make his parents and nations proud to be beside him when they would have exterminated the devils inside the walls. 

“Training. And war. We’ll go destroy Marley’s enemies as a test.” Marcel was confident, as always, and smiling wide. Porco thought he was proud of his future victory but in reality Marcel was only smiling because his little brother will now survive. “I’ll come back next year.”

And Porco waited a year, only hearing from his brother through the newspaper : “Marley’s powerful Titans strike down for good our enemy !”. There was even a photography of the whole group in perfect synchrony, the female titan was on the foreground, destroying in one kick a tank while Braun was behind her holding back a cannon shot with only one hand, the colossal titan was so huge that even being in the furthest back the photographer couldn’t get him whole. His brother was on Braun’s leg, cutting in pieces with his claws the enemy soldier around. 

He hated that picture. It was everything he failed to become ! He wanted to burn every of the newspapers but his mother had cut out the photography and framed it to hang it on the living-room wall. Now, everytime he will come home he will see his failure. 

“Pock !!” Screamed Marcel when he finally came back home. Porco almost didn’t recognize him : his brother was taller and buffier than before, and his face had lost his roundness. He turned red, ashamed, thinking that he maybe had let himself eat too much lately. “You grew so tall !”

It was a blatant lie that only pissed and frustrated even more the young man.

“Marcel.” He said back nonetheless, but less enthusiast that he wanted it to be.

“Something’s wrong ?” Of course Marcel would see it. He was the perfect golden boy ! 

“No ! I am so glad to see you ! Just shook, ahah !” He lied. Porco was only seeing in his brother all the mockeries he received, all the times their parents compared him to their amazing son, answering “You’re almost like your brother now !” when he presented them his 100/100 scores. 

Marcel could feel the anger. 

“Are you angry or what ? Did I did something wrong ?”

Porco could only be more furious. 

“Of course no ! Everything you do is perfect !” He shouted, his cheeks burning of shame and frustration. He hated that he hated his brother. “How could I be angry at you !?”

Marcel suddenly understood. But it was too late to come back on his action and he won’t even try, to be honest. Reiner was a good pick in the end. He was so eager to learn and do good, even if he was sometime awkward and reckless he always cared about his teammates and was trustworthy enough to give him your life between his hands. The armor was strong, reliable and confident. Maybe Porco would’ve been better but he guessed nobody will ever know.

“You don’t worth less because you’re not a warrior.” He said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re still as skilled and amazing as before !”

“Shut up.” Porco pushed away his brother. It was the first time in a year he heard a real compliment and not a “you’re becoming like you’re brother.” and he was so happy about it, but he was too proud to show it. “Just shut up.” And he looked away to hide his soft smile and tears. 

Marcel stayed the night at their house and when come the time of goodbyes, their parents both cried, asking him to not die or to not get eaten. In the end every of them ended up crying, even Porco ! They saw him get in the carriage with his comrades and his smile was their last memory of him. 

Porco waited for him, thinking that his dear and older brother was alive and killing the devils with all his might, totally unaware that he never even went as far as the first wall. He heard that the mission had come to a end before his parents thanks to his status and he was so excited and happy to finally meet him after all these long years. 

He hesitated to tell his parents, he wanted to do them a surprise.

“What will you do when Marcel come back ?” He asked when they were eating dinner. 

His mother smiled, thinking about him always made her happy. “I think I’ll hug him until we both fall asleep. It’s been too long since I last saw my boy.”

“He won’t be your boy though ! He’s a real man now, uh !” Said his father excited, hitting his chest with his fist. “He’s the great Jaw titan, woman ! He’s their leader. When he will come back, I will open the bottle my grand-pa gave me when I married your mom and we’ll drink to his success !”

Porco smiled until the next day, when the military base got a telegram from the island. Yaeger, the Beast Titan, send it to them to tell them he ‘reunited with Braun and Hoover’. That was all. Not a mention of his brother, or even of the female titan. The higher ranks got stressed, asking for more informations. 

‘The coordinate has been found as well as the Jaw titan.’

Porco’s heart squeezed. How come the jaw titan has been found ? Was he lost ? Maybe a part of the telegram end up lost. It happened often, the devil’s island was really far away from Marley. 

And so he asked to his parents at dinner ; “What will you do if Marcel is dead ?” 

His mother stopped what she was doing, eating mashed potatoes, and seemed dying inside. “ I would rather die. I know he won’t live long cause of Ymir’s curse but there was still years we could spent together as a family, you know ?” He understood. “I want him to die with his loved one, not among the fifthly devils of this damned island.” 

“Why are you asking about him recently ?” Said his father, worried. “Do you something we don’t ?”

“Well, I just know their mission is going to end up soon.” Porco said, not watching in the eyes. “I shouldn’t tell you so please don’t tell anyone.” Both parents agreed and promised. ”We got telegrams from Yaeger,” they cringed at the name, “he met Braun and Hoover.” 

“Yaeger, uh ?” The mom flinched. “The son of the leader of that pathetic liberation army ?” 

“Yeah. He’s nothing like his father though. Everybody respect him, he’s strong and smart.” 

“I guess I’ll get the bottle ready then.” Smiled his father, ignoring the remarks about the Yaegers. There was a time when he thought they were right but he would rather die than say it aloud. 

This time the telegram gave them more informations. Apparently. Porco has been forbidden to read it or to even ask about it and he don’t know why. Generally they trust him for this kind of thing, especially when it’s about his brother’s mission ! He desperately wanted to know what was going on : everyone was worried and lot of preparations were done. So, he waited until the whole room emptied and, as fast as possible he re-taped the signal they recorded. It’s been time since he used Morse code but he was able to recollect the message entirely, to his horror.

‘The cart is shipping the jaw titan. Met them at 0600 in sector B. Be ready for compliant new holder. Don’t tell the younger Galliard brother.’

Porco hold back a long scream, he could go to martial court if someone surprised him with this message. He went out, and runned to the WC, holding in his fist the message.

“It’s wrong.” He said after closing the door. “It’s from the son traitor so it can only be false.” His gritted his teeth. “Marcel couldn’t have died ! And it means it ate him alive if it got his power…” 

The thought of his dear older brother eaten alive make him puke. He never saw mindless titans but the recreation and drawings of them we’re horrible enough to traumatize any children to life. Head above the toilet, vomit on his chin, he decided to not believed it until he had seen the so called ‘new holder’. 

She was slim, her skin’s olive and brown haired. She was ugly. No breasts, no muscles, slick hairs. How did the Jaw looked like ? And say she was what killed his amazing brother. 

“Who is she, sir ?” He asked the jaw tight, fighting back his urge to jump on her and to kill her.

“I can’t tell you, Galliard.” 

As she was walking out of the boat, she looked around her. She was disoriented, shaking a little, probably regretting her ‘compliance’. Pieck was behind her, with two other soldiers, they were keeping her roped to herself, with heavy weight on her fists and ankles. When the woman saw him, the red haired man with a up button nose, she recognized him. 

“Oh”, Ymir thought, “Porco.” It was an horrible feeling to see the hateful gaze of the brother of her victim. “What a pain.” She wished she wouldn’t see him, but guess they wouldn’t spare him either.

“Put it in the prison.” Said the chief disdainful. “What a waste.” 

“He must think the same as me.” Thought Porco, the last Galliard brother. 

“Pieck, go with her and be sure she does nothing...,” he glanced quickly at Porco, “dangerous.”

“Of course, sir !” She saluted and pressed her gun against the girl’s back to make her advance but she resisted. A sad smile draw itself on her face. 

“You didn’t even told him, ah !” 

Porco straightened up, ready to hear her say it for good. There was always a really slim chance the war chief Yaeger mistake Braun and his brother, or Hoover and him… Porco was ready to believe everything. 

“Shut the fuck up, devil !” Screamed the chief before kicking her violently in the stomach with his foot, making her fall on the ground. “Be sure you won’t live enough if you try again to use that ugly and pitiful mouth of your, Ymir.”

Porco didn’t felt pity when he saw her cough, trying to get her breath back, but when he heard his name he cringed. “She sure had a hard time with a name like that.”

“Even between the wall they’re better than you.” She whispered but the chief didn’t heard it. She was lucky, in a sad way. Pieck pushed her away, a sad look on her face. Porco wanted to follow her so he could interrogate her, ask her how it happened, how his brother died, how he could’ve failed against her but he stood his ground and stayed besides his chief. 

The man wasn’t tall, barely above average but he was so slim and his back straight he looked five centimeters taller anyways. He was an harsh person, loving wars and anything that could lead him to get a promotion, but rumors said he actually appreciated his soldiers. It was only a rumor though, Porco already saw him kick one to the blood for not having his boots cleaned up. 

“Galliard.” He said without looking down to him. “They don’t want you to know it for now but even an eldian should know it. You’re a brave soldier and I was glad to have you behind me.” 

Porco was confused. “Excuse me, sir, what are you talking about ?” A instant he thought he was being discharged but no, it couldn’t happen ? Uh ? 

“I know that you know who she is.” 

His blood froze. His chief was in his right to kick him to death, or even to torture him, or to ship him on paradise. His parents could never endure the death of their two sons.

“Sir, I- I don’t know of what you’re talking ab-” He muttered, his knees shaking a bit. Just to think of what might become of him made him worried to the bone. “I don’t know who she is.”

“Shut the fuck up, Galliard. Don’t gave me your bullshit, I don’t have the time to care about what you know.” This time the chief turned to him. His eyes were black like a night without moon and Porco could see death’s face in them. “She’s the one who ate your brother years ago.” He wanted to puke once again but now was really not the time. “They’ll gave her to a warrior aspirant to get the Jaw back. It will probably be you.” He looked away, watching his others soldiers charging in the boat provisions for Zeke, still on the island. “So it’s the last time you’re on my squad, you’ll become a warrior, boy.”

Porco wanted to cry. It was supposed to happen years ago, at the same time as Marcel. He was supposed to be happy and glad about it, to announce it to his parents, holding in his hands the perfect armband ! But no, he was only going to get back what has been stolen to his brother. 

“Alright sir.” He said, holding back his tears and screams. “May I be excused, I want to announce the good new to my parents. They’ll be glad to know I am a warrior now.”

The chief sighted, somewhat sad about this cluster of emotions? “You may dispose, boy. Farewell.” 

Porco walked out but at the moment he was sure he was out of sight he fell down to his knees and let his tears roll. Life was so unfair ! His brother wasn’t supposed to die there ! He was supposed to erase the devils, to massacre them to a pulp so their race could finally be free of the hate they have to endure everyday… Being imprisoned between this walls, in these gloomy ghettos were sickness was spreading as fast as rumors and depression. They could have won. They could have been freed from it. 

He calmed himself, dried his tears and went up. He couldn’t let anybody see him like that. Not when he had to be now the Jaw titan, and when he had to break the terrible new to his parents. 

“Dad, what’ you doing right now ?” Asked Porco with a little voice, holding in one hand the phone, and with the other he was pinching his nose. He had a huge headache right now.

“Oh nothing important.” He sounded gleeful and it only made the man sadder. “Do you have news about what we discussed last time ?” He could his excitation in his voice. He knew the phone were tapped ; he was calling from the military base and he was going to get the Jaw soon. Every eyes and ears were on him.

“Yeah, I’m calling for the bottle. The seller was out of it.”

“What ?”

“I won’t be able to come home for at least a few weeks due to a secret I can’t tell you, sorry.”

“But- What about the bottle ?”

“Put it back, dad.” His voice broke down and it shattered his old man’s mind. “The seller said it was dead, no way to get a new one for what you were preparing.” 

“Oh.” It was so soft. “I understand.”

“I’m sorry dad, I wish I could’ve done better.”

“It was just… a bottle of wine, eh.” Porco could hear his tears. “I guess I had to see it coming, they’re from a foreign country and with the war and all that… It’s now impossible to get them…” 

“Please, tell mom I love her.” His chest was compressed, he was out of breath just by thinking about all the pain they were enduring right now. “I wish I could be with you.”

“I know, son.” He bite his lower lip. “Did you wanted to tell me something else ?”

Porco hesitated to tell them about the girl, but what good will it give them ? 

“No. I’ll speak to you about everything when I come back home. In between I’ll be really busy.”

A silence installed himself, no one wanted to put down the phone but, in the end, his father bring himself to it when he heard his wife calling him. 

“It’s your mom. I have to tell her her party won’t be the same without the so desired bottle.” 

“Bye dad.”

“Galliard,” said a general Porco didn’t know. They were six, sitting in front of him as he was standing. “Your brother, the warrior titan Jaw, named Marcel Galliard died on Paradise Island by the hand of a mindless titan who then inherited his power.” The face of the girl came back to his mind. He wondered where she was, it has been days since she arrived but no words has been spoked about her. “The warriors Braun and Hoover were able to get the new holder back for us to transmit to someone else. It has been decided it will be you.” Porco’s heart tightened. “You will be the new Jaw titan and bring many victories to the great nation of Marley.”

“You may dispose now.” Said another general before standing up to leave. All the other one followed his actions and without a care of what it meant left to eat lunch. 

“Do you think there is salad ? My wife is forcing me into a regime and-” 

Porco couldn’t hear what was next but it wasn’t a big loose. 

“Can I see her ? I want to be the one telling her about her fate.” He asked to Chief Magath, his new commander. The man hesitated then sighted.

“I shouldn’t but your brother was a good boy, just for him I’ll this one ask slip.”

Porco thanked him warmly and went to the prisons where he learnt she was. He still hadn’t seen her since she arrived a week ago, and neither Braun, Hoover and Leonhard came back. Hell, they sent Warchief Yaeger and Pieck to them ! He wishes he could know what was up with them but the higher-ranks were keeping it secret. Something big, probably. 

“She’s in the fourth cell.” Answered the guard after he asked him. Porco only hesitated a few seconds, it was intimidating in a way : what could he says to her ? “You have killed my brother, prepare to die by my hand.” Or mouth in this particular case. 

“Are you awake ?” 

She was very well awake, sitting on her couch, an empty bowl beside her. He just wanted to start the conversation.

“Not for long, I guess.” She was looking through the little window of her tiny cell. They really gave her an horrible place, moistures were eating the wall of old stones, the bed was only a grey sheet on a hard wood plank.

“Indeed. I asked to announce it to you yourself.” He put his hands on her bars’ cell. They were cold and adorned. “But to be honest, I want you to tell me the truth.” 

She still didn’t looked to him. 

“What good can it bring me, uh ? The truth is useless here.” 

“Tell me how he died. Tell me how you killed and ate my big brother.” 

She sighted. “What ? That’s why ? You don’t want to hear how a girl named Ymir, born and raised in Marley ended up in Paradise ?”

She was playing him. She knew he was there for his brother of course but she wanted to talk to someone and if she told him right away he would leave as fast as he came in.

“Wh- Would you tell me what happened to him if you told me your story ?” he was desperate for answers, she understood. 

“Probably.” She shrugged nonchalantly, the gaze lost somewhere else. “I am very lonely right now and even your company would be more interesting than the rat’s.”

“I’m listening then.”

And she told him everything. How she has been tricked into thinking she was someone else, how she lied to herself to keep up the appearance even though it would lead her to an horrible death, and he did listened. He grew curious of her. She was interesting, a cursed girl who had no chances in life and started from the bottom of hell. She spoke a lot of her trainings days, of this cute and adorable blond girl and he caught himself thinking they would have been a cute couple. 

“Then we got stuck on that tower.” Both were sitting on the ground, in front of each either, only separated by luck and bars. “Reiner and Berthold were here too, alongside Historia and that dumbass Conny.” He hated one of these name. “Reiner went nuts. A titan had broken in, bite his arm and so he lifted it and was willing to throw himself with it from a window to save us all ! Was he always that mad ?”

“Kind of. He would have sell out someone to be a warrior back then.” He almost did it to me when I said they made a mistake by choosing him over me…

“Anyways, I transform and save the day. That’s how they saw my titan. They’re look were a mix of horrified and stupefied. They never thought they would see the Jaw back.” Porco stayed silence, not wanting to push her too much into telling him what exactly happened. “Then, Reiner’s mind broke down. I wish I had been lucide to see it, ahah !” She laughed, but he could feel it was only a sour laugh. “When I took back consciousness, Reiner was creeping us out, telling how bad he wanted to marry Historia, and how we would all have a promotion to captain of a squad. That’s when I understood he was fucked up.”

“What ? Eldians can’t even have a promotion, and even Warrior get a glass ceiling. What are you talking about ?” 

“No, what was he talking about ! If you want, his mind splitted up in two distinct half. One is a perfect warrior, willing to kill anyone standing in his way, a strong-willed monster and the other one is the goody two-shoes soldier, the 104th’s big bro, ready to sacrifice himself for Humanity’s sake.”

This was madness. If anyone were to learn it, Reiner would be replaced and eaten by someone else immediately ! It was a breach into Marley’s trust and firepower. 

“And then they convinced you to help them escape ?” He decided to not react on the last part, it was too important to be thrown away, he had to decide what to do with this vital information.

“Pretty much. They told me Historia would be safe if I came. They will come back for her and Annie and get her here, among the Marleyans.”

“She is one, uh ?”

“Yeah.” She eluded the questions but Porco didn’t care that much about the girl, if she do was a Marleyans it was sad for her to be stuck in this hell. She looked him right in thes eyes and then stood up. 

“What- what you doing ?”

“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep, and you should probably leave. It’s been a while since you’re here. They could think you’re plotting a revolution or a starting a cult with me, ahah.”

“No ! You still didn’t answer my first question !” He stood up too and tried to grab her through the bars but she avoided it and plastered herself against the farest wall. “I heard everything you had to say, now tell me the truth !!”

“You’re a weird but good guy, Porco. It won’t bring you the satisfaction you think, eh.”

“I’m the only one who can tell that !” He tried again, swinging his arm in her direction, she was barely a hand away from him, if only… If only he could just grab her. 

“I wanted to talk cause I’m a selfish dying girl. I don’t even remember what happened. My memories only are after I ate im.”

These words made him bite his lower lips to the blood. His eyes crazy, he tried one last time to catch her but finally understood it was useless. 

“How could I have trust an Eldian, uh.” He muttered to himself, defeated. 

“When I see myself in this cell, I ask myself the same question.” She sit on the bed and cover herself up with the cover. “But I don’t regret these choices.” 

“Shut up…” He was holding his head between his hands, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“I remember you though, ya know.” He looked at her, surprised. “Your brother loved you and I’m sorry for not even remembering but I can’t do much about it. I wasn’t the one who voluntarily transformed into a mindless titan, eh !”

He sour laughed, in a way she was right. She wouldn’t have been able to restrain herself from eating human, and his dear older was just another victim of Eldians’ past sins. 

“We’ll never get out of this hell… We are doomed to be their scapegoat for eternity. No matter how many of us die, no matter how many of us try to redeem ourselves…” He lowered his tone, feeling as down as hell. 

“I am glad of where life led me.” She smiled genuinely, and tears of happiness rolled down. “I was able to be free and myself within the walls. It wasn’t the best life, sure I was forced to hide my titan’s capacities but like that, I’ve been able to take my name and to shout it. I’ve been able to meet friends, to meet love. It was sure short but so intense ! My only regret is that I won’t see her again.”

“What can your happiness bring me, eh ? I am glad for you but you won’t be the one living in this hell.”

“Yeah, I know, ahah !” She laughed softly. “I guess my only advice to live true to yourself so you won't regret your actions. Say what you think, don’t hide yourself to please others and please fuck Reiner up. This guy need to be mocked at least five times a day or else he’ll marry some random blond girl.”

Porco smiled. 

“We’ll see each other tomorrow, Ymir.” 

He stood up and started to live when the girl interpalled him ; “Am I going to die tomorrow ?”

“Yes. Sorry.” He hesitated before answering but, in the end, he couldn’t lie to her in her final moments.

She was attached to massive chains, dressed of a clean white dress, her hairs were done and she could almost look cute like that. Magath and the others general and higher ranks were behind him, watching the show go down. 

“I remember now…” She whispered when a sergeant injected him the serum. “He was brave.”

When he wake up, he had one of the worst headache he ever had. Everything was blurry, and he could difficulty sit up. Pieck was the first one to come, asking how he was feeling. He responded “Weird but good.” and it seemed to suffice her. She was a strange but lovely woman and Porco liked her a lot, she was one of his best friend even though they didn’t talked that much lately.

“Will you go see yours parents now ?” She asked, sitting on a chair next to his bed. 

“I can’t yet.”

“You had all the time in the world, Pock. Unlike what you said to them, they didn’t forced you to stay here.”

Porco sighted. He lied to them to feel better, to not have to tell them the truth personally. It was easier when you don’t have to deal with all the tears and cries and screams. 

“I will see them next wednesday. I have to…” 

He quickly learnt how to master the Jaw titan, it was really instinctive to do, each of the Titan’s muscles was connected to his human counterpart and it like he was running and biting and jumping everywhere himself without getting tired or hurted. The memories were coming back really slowly, he barely had Ymir’s but he could already see her life before the military training. Their world was like their own, but without Marley. 

“Dad, Mom.” He said on Thursday when he finally came back home after three weeks of absence. He had his new armband and a new clean uniform but all his mom could say was ; “You lost your children fat, son. Where are your cute cheeks ?” And she hugged him until his father had to draw her away so he could himself see their new, only, son. 

“You got a new armband.” He said calmly, a sad smile on his face. His mom hold back a scream, realizing what it meant. “It suits you, Porco.”

“I look like brother now, uh.” 

“You look like yourself. You were already perfect but now you only got even better.” 

Porco couldn’t but cry and he hated having to do it in front of his parents. 

“I am so sorry… If only I had been better back then I would have been with him !” His mother gasped and took him back in her arms, pushing in one hand his head against her shoulder and caressing his back with the other. “But I failed you, him and our people… I- i am so sorry…” 

His father watched him burst into sob, he looked like the child he was when his brother left for Paradise, with his red nose and cheeks, his puffy eyes and wet face. 

“Son, it’s no one fault but thee devils one.”

And Porco only cried harder.

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote it kinda in a mood so it's lowkey weird but fuck it I went with the flow lol Don't judge too much tho, aha ! Don't hesitate to comment or leave a kudos UwU


End file.
